Mr Neel Raithatha is a private ear wax removal specialist in Leicester and co-founder of CLEARWAX which provides training for ear professionals nationally in using the latest Endoscopic Suction technology, and no ear syringing, to gently clean and clear your blocked ear. Similarly to microsuction, endoscopic ear wax removal is a ‘dry’ method requiring no water or need to apply ear wax drops for weeks beforehand, as is typical with ear syringing, significantly reducing the risk of developing an ear infection.
Depending upon the type (hard or soft) and amount (occluding or semi-occluding) of ear wax the entire procedure should take no longer than 10-15 minutes to perform per ear. To learn more about ear wax, its causes, symptoms and treatments please select from the below tabs.
Ear wax cleans the ear canal by trapping and capturing dead skin (keratin), small foreign objects (e.g.
Ear wax lubricates the layer of skin lining the ear canal preventing it from drying out and becoming cracked.
In most people ear wax will naturally migrate outwards of the ear canal and fallout taking with it any debris it has collected. There are many over-the-counter ear wax drops that are available at your local pharmacy to help soften, loosen and sometimes even dissolve the ear wax. After applying the ear wax drops the affected ear needs to be facing upwards for around 5 to 10 minutes to allow the ear wax drops to enter the ear canal and penetrate the ear wax to soften and loosen it. Up until recently, ear syringing (or irrigation) was the standard and conventional method used to remove ear wax (if using ear wax drops was not successful) and clear blocked ears. There is a growing reluctance amongst GPs and practice nurses, however, to perform ear syringing due to the obvious clinical risks involved. It is important to note that ear syringing should under no circumstances be performed in individuals with a known perforation, cleft palate, foreign object in the ear canal, and mastoid cavity following a mastoidectomy.
The use of microsuction to remove ear wax and clear a blocked ear is generally performed in hospital outpatient’s clinics by ENT doctors and ENT nurses if all other ear wax removal treatments have either proven to be unsuccessful or unsuitable. As mentioned earlier, microsuction is generally performed by ENT doctors and ENT nurses using expensive and large ENT binocular operating microscopes in hospital outpatient’s department. Similarly to microsuction, endoscopic ear wax removal can be noisy and there is a very small risk, as with all other ear wax removal treatments, that some people may report tinnitus or increased tinnitus if they already experienced it pre- ear wax removal.
Earwax (or cerumen to use the correct medical term ) is a waxy material produced by sebaceous glands inside the ear. If you need a hearing aid click here, or for more information on hearing protection click here .
What to do if you have a wax build up? You might experience some hearing loss and your ears may feel dry, itchy or painful and A couple of drops of olive oil, or softening drops, in the ear canal administered 2-4 times a day can help to soften the wax and one of our registered Clinical Ear Practitioners can remove it for you safely and painlessly. All our staff are highly skilled audiological practitioners who are trained in healthcare provision. As we are registered with the Health Professions Council, we can accept self-referrals, or referrals direct from your GP or from Ear, Nose and Throat specialists across the UK. North London Hearing has been awarded the Phonak Premium Partner mark in recognition of the high level of service they provide to their clients.
Also known as an ear cone, an ear candle is a thin, hollow tube of linen or muslin cloth, soaked in paraffin or beeswax and tapered at one end.
The basic claim is that the heat from the flame melts and loosens the ear wax and creates negative pressure that 'sucks' the wax into the candle. What I hadn't told them was that I’d taken some pictures of the inside my ear using an excellent (and at the time, very expensive) video otoscope. When I got back to my office, I checked on the camera and unfortunately nothing had changed. I, personally, haven’t heard stories of anyone’s house burning down from an ear candling accident or of hot burning wax running into anybody’s ears.
If Hopi candles were truly effective, the practitioner would show you before and after pictures live on a screen as we all do at the Ear Wax Clinics. If wax builds-up, your ears may feel dry, itchy or painful and you might experience some hearing loss. A low pressure flow of water, using a specialised ear irrigator, is used to gently remove wax blockage. If you need a hearing aid click here, or go for for more information on hearing protection any blockage of ear wax will need to be removed before we can make impression of your ears.
Harley Street Hearing are London’s leading independent hearing clinics and are the most successful Lyric Centre worldwide.

Harley Street Hearing has been awarded the Phonak Premium Partner mark in recognition of the high level of service they provide to their clients. This technique of ear wax removal was found to be even more comfortable, easier, and quicker to perform than Microsuction when compared in a clinical study1. Furthermore, the ear wax is removed under direct supervision at all times ensuring it is done so safely, which is not the case with ear syringing which is performed ‘blindly’. An oto-endoscope is a more advanced medical ‘ear torch’ than the conventional otoscope used by Audiologists and ENT doctors to examine the ear.
We commence by carefully examining your ears, taking pictures to show you the type and amount of ear wax you have, before carefully cleaning and removing it all from your ears. It can be described as being either soft or hard, with the type of ear wax you have being genetically inherited. This is because the layer of skin lining the ear canal that secretes the ear wax has the unique property of moving sideways towards the entrance of the ear canal as it grows and sheds.
The sensation of a blocked ear is due to the ear wax creating a “plug” inside the ear canal.
Using ear wax drops that are either slightly cooler or warmer than room temperature can cause short-term vertigo due to the ‘caloric’ effect.
Ear syringing is usually performed in GP surgery’s by a practice nurse and involves gently pumping water (either via a bulb-type syringe or electronic ear irrigator nozzle) into the ear canal at different angles to flush, dissolve, and rinse the ear wax out of the ear canal. Although old-fashioned, high-pressured ear syringes have since been replaced by modern directional jet pressure-controlled ear syringes and electronic irrigation machines, whereby the water flow pressure can be regulated and controlled using a foot pump, the procedure is still performed ‘blind’ with no direct vision. Also, it is sometimes reported that ear syringing can lead to tinnitus, or exacerbate it in people who already experience it. Its major advantage over all other ear wax removal treatments highlighted above is that ear wax is removed safely under direct vision at all times. Subsequently, many people have to wait weeks or months for an appointment if being referred by their GP for microsuction ear wax removal. In fact, endoscopic ear wax removal has been clinically found to be less painful, more comfortable, quicker and easier to perform than microsuction, even when using an ENT microscope (Pothier et al.
There is also the small chance of slight bleeding due to grazing and scratching of the layer of skin lining the car canal with the suction probe, although compared to microsuction this risk is somewhat reduced given there is a far greater degree of operating space available. Having antibacterial properties it cleans, lubricates and protects the lining of the ear by trapping dirt and repelling water. Microsuction is a wax-removal technique using a microscope and a fine sterile suction device. It is an important part of the ear’s natural defense because it has natural lubricating properties and contains an anti-bacterial agent to help prevent infections.
The oto-endoscope is comfortably rested into the opening of the ear to provide a ‘wide’ high resolution view of the entire ear canal. Therefore ear wax doesn’t usually cause people too many issues, but in some cases ear wax can build-up and become impacted. The caloric effect is when the balance (vestibular) organ in one ear is out of sync with the balance organ in the opposite ear due to an inhibition in its function (cooler air or water) or excitation in its function (warmer air or water). Repositioning your head back to the centre or sitting back up after the allocated time will allow the ear wax drops to drain out of the ear canal, hopefully removing some of the ear wax at the same time. Prior to ear syringing, it is recommended that ear wax drops are applied 2 or 3 times a day for atleast 10-14 days in advance to help soften the ear wax and aid its removal. There is also still the risk of perforating the eardrum by applying excessive pressure, especially if the eardrum has been previously operated on or is fragile due to a healed perforation in the last 12 months.
The procedure is undertaken through an ENT binocular operating microscope (to provide magnification, depth perception and light source) and a sterile suction probe that is connected to a gentle suction machine. Subsequently, like ear syringing, sometimes people report tinnitus or increased tinnitus if they already experience it pre-microsuction. Secondary trauma of the eardrum caused through the oto-endoscope, suction probe and other ENT instruments is also possible, albeit rare. The microscope allows for excellent depth-perception allowing the procedure to take place without touching the sides on the ear canal. The flow of water is carefully directed towards the upper ear canal wall to gently flow out bringing the wax with it. Ear irrigation is a completely painless procedure and is an important tool in providing ear care.

Some people are simply just genetically more predisposed at secreting ear wax at a quicker rate than it can naturally migrate out of the ear. The mismatch in signals sent to the brain via the two balance organs then confuse the brain into thinking you’re moving when you are still and stationary, leading to vertigo. This process generally needs to be repeated 2 or 3 times a day for anything between to 10-14 days.
In addition, where an unknown and undetected perforation is present behind the ear wax plug, ear syringing can inadvertently force both ear wax and water through the perforation in the middle-ear cavity and trigger an infection. Other instruments, such as cerumen spoons, Jobson-Horne and miniature crocodile forceps can also be used in conjunction with the suction probe to safely remove ear wax. There is also the small chance of slight bleeding due to grazing and scratching of the layer of skin lining the car canal with the suction probe. In addition, when using the suction probe cool air currents are generated within in the ear canal, and similarly to the ear wax drops, ear syringing and microsuction methods of ear wax removal there is a risk of short-lasting vertigo due to ‘caloric’ effect, as described previously. Wax only forms in the outer third of the ear canal and usually, slowly works its way out of the ear, bringing debris with it. A low-pressure sterilized suction probe (alongside other ear wax removal tools if required) is then used to safely and gently vacuum the ear wax to clean and clear your blocked ear.
It is thought that water-based ear wax drops are more effective at dissolving ear wax than oil-based ear wax drops.
Even so, if there is excessive or impacted ear wax then ear wax drops alone may not successfully remove the ear wax. This could also be said to be true if a grommet (ventilation tube) has been surgically inserted through the eardrum.
Secondary trauma of the eardrum caused through the suction probe and other ENT instruments is also possible, albeit rare. An oto-endoscope is a more advanced medical ‘ear torch’ than the conventional oto-scope used by Audiologists and ENT doctors to inspect the ear. Endoscopic ear wax removal may sometimes be difficult to perform on people with small ear canal entrances, but there are some oto-endoscope with very small diameters available (e.g. Furthermore, unlike oil-based ear wax drops, there is no known risk of damage to the inner ear caused by water-based ear wax drops if there is an unknown perforated eardrum gone undetected behind the impacted ear wax (if a perforated eardrum has previously been diagnosed then it is advised that ear wax drops not be used).
Furthermore, ear syringing is not appropriate for anybody who has had a middle-ear infection (otitis media) in the last 6 weeks since it can increase the chance of it returning. In addition, when using the suction probe cool air currents are generated within in the ear canal, and similarly to the ear wax drops and ear syringing ear wax treatments there is a risk of short-lasting vertigo due to ‘caloric’ effect.
It can either be rigid or flexible and uses a small diameter fibreoptic telescope to provide an incomparable 'wide' high resolution view of the ear canal.
However, water-based ear wax drops are more prone to causing irritation and can sometimes lead to an infection. Similarly, ear syringing should be avoided in anybody who is currently suffering from an outer-ear infection (otitis externa) since it can increase its severity whilst also being extremely painful for the individual. Nonetheless, the use of microsuction compared to the other ear wax removal treatments is quicker and safer and doesn’t require weeks of instilling ear wax drops (although applying sodium bicarbonate ear wax drops the day before to slightly soften the wax is sometimes advisable). Subsequently, it can be comfortable and safely rested into the ear canal opening using one hand to visualise the whole ear canal and eardrum, with minimal manipulation of the patient’s head or ear as would be the case with either a microscope or an oto-scope. In addition, compared to oil-based ear wax drops, they can cause ear wax to swell and expand more therefore leading to a complete ear wax plug and exacerbation of the blocked ear sensation.
Even in normal ears, there is always the chance of infection post-ear syringing, albeit small, especially if the water being used has not been adequately sterilised. This allows the other hand to gently remove the ear wax by using the sterile suction probe in conjunction with other ENT instruments, if required. Additionally, as like with ear wax drops, the temperature of the water needs to be carefully controlled at body temperature (37?C) to avoid short-term vertigo due to the ‘caloric’ effect which has been described earlier.